Zebre vs Cardiff Blues

Head to Head

Cardiff have faced Zebre five times since the Italian team joined the then RaboDirect Pro12 in 2012 with honours split marginally in favour of the Welshmen. Cardiff have three victories to two by their hosts. Games are usually close with only a score or two between the sides. This weekend’s fixture will be the fifth time an Irishman has taken the whistle in this fixture. Unfortunately for the Italians, Stadio Lanfranchi remains the easiest place to register an away win in the Pro14, and this season, the Scarlets inflicted Zebre’s 5th biggest home defeat ever at the stadium.

The Coaches

Michael Bradley – ex-Connacht scrum half – was appointed coach of Zebre in August last year. So far this season, his team has registered four victories, already only one behind their best ever showing in the league. Whilst the team’s progress has been gradual, there’s been a general improvement in their win-ratio as the season’s pass. Meanwhile, Danny Wilson’s team are looking for their third victory on the trot in the Pro14 – something of a novelty for the Welshmen.

Attack

Both Zebre and Cardiff have proved somewhat adept at failing to convert three tries in a game to a bonus point. This season, the Welshmen have done so on five occasions, whilst their hosts have done so four times. Both teams have registered only five bonus points in games played so far – only the Kings have a worse bonus points showing. If only Leinster have made more clean breaks than Cardiff this season, Zebre’s strength lies in the number of defenders beaten where they rank third in the league. Offloading skills are essential to keep defenders guessing, and again Zebre excel in this facet of play – only Glasgow rank above them. In terms of meters run, Cardiff’s total this season so far is 5021 – almost 1,000m fewer than Zebre’s. When it comes to tactical kicking, Zebre do so on a fewer number of occasions than do Cardiff by some margin.

Prediction

This fixture rarely sees much daylight between the two teams and is always a tight contest when the game is played in Italy. Once again, there won’t be too much between the two sides. Cardiff’s superiority at set piece and in defence will be pitted against Zebre better attacking skills. But confidence will be high in the home team and with the referee’s influence, they will run out narrow victors by 23-18.